The Ghost
by soulmister
Summary: After watching the Flash close the black hole hanging over Central City, Cold takes it upon himself to dig Barry out of the wreckage and bring him to safety. Barry wakes up as nothing more than a ghost of his former, self, his memories being completely lost and his powers and personality changed by whatever happened in the vortex.
1. The Guy That Just Saved All Our Asses

"The same reason you keep running after guys like me. The adrenaline. The thrill of the chase. I love this game. And I'm _very_ good at it."

The city was in danger. Hell, the whole world was in danger. He could die, everyone else could. Everything he knew, sucked up into a black hole. Yet for some reason, Snart's words seemed to bounce around his head. The black hole hanging above Central City was only growing bigger. He was running against it, as fast as he possibly could. It didn't seem to be enough. But Barry couldn't think about it-he just had to _run_.

* * *

Down below with everyone else holding their breath in Central City, Snart stared up at the-well, the whatever it was, hanging above them. He could see the Flash-see Barry. A streak of red and yellow zooming round and around. Against the flow of the pool. The vortex. To think that his life was now laid in the hands of that kid. Kid had some brass, that's for sure. And the vortex was even starting to shut. It shrunk smaller and smaller and it looked like they might be safe-and that's when everyone saw it.

It was like the vortex imploded outward, a last grasp for breath. An explosion of blue and blue and violet, all while the Flash was still up there. Some of the people standing by Snart let out gasps or cries. Bits of buildings and cars that were still being ripped up into the sky started to fall and through all of that, barely, just barely, could Snart see a little blip of red falling from the sky. Barry. Barry Allen, the kid who'd just saved all our asses.

For once he didn't really think before he did it. He found himself rushing over to his bike and driving off before anyone else really had time to react. As much as he doubted that even the Flash could survive that kind of fall, he had to look at the damage for himself. He sped towards S.T.A.R. Labs, or what was left of it. Bits of buildings and cars and everything else came crashing back down, one deafening crash and bang after another. Snart somehow managed to get there for the cops or paramedics, or even any of the Flash's little team. Somewhere in that mess was a red splat. Most likely.

He wasn't exactly sure why he was looking-and that was pretty unusual, being unsure of anything. He knew what he was about. He'd told the Flash exactly that. Guess he wasn't always right. Snart stepped off his bike and began skimming through the wreck. Glass and other various materials crunched under his feet as he looked around. There were a few other corpses here and there, people who'd gotten sucked up into the sky. None of them were scarlet, however.

Snart glanced back around when he heard the sirens. What was he doing here? He didn't really want to be found here. Just as he'd resolved to heading back and leaving he heard some sputtering and coughing. He looked back around and he saw him: the Scarlet Speedster, lying sideways on the ground, broken and bloody. Snart hesitated, considering what he was doing. He wasn't sure what he was doing. Still, something in the back of his mind pushed him over to Barry. He pushed Barry onto his back, scanning over him. If it was anyone else he'd consider them dead already.

The kid probably had more broken bones than Snart had ever dished out in his life. His mouth and face were covered in blood. He would have been hard to find without the suit. Barry's breathing was shallow but it was still there. He couldn't open his eyes, even if he was conscious enough to do that. The sirens were growing louder, nearer. Snart could never be sure what had clicked together in the back of his mind but before he knew it, he was pulling off his coating and putting it on Barry. Then he pulled off Barry's mask. Kid's face was barely recognizable. He scooped Barry up into his arms, now looking like someone pulling somebody they know out of the wreckage. He had off the streets. Disappear.

Snart already resolved to ditching his bike because there was no way Barry was riding on it. A shame, too, he loved that bike. Instead he climbed back through the wreck holding Barry in his arms and made his way back into the streets. The cops had arrived first; they didn't give him a second glance when he told them he was going to take him to the hospital. Just another good samaritan. They raced around him to pull people out of the wreckage, and everywhere around him Snart heard the same questions. What was that? Did you find anyone? Does anyone see the Flash? Is he alive?

Snart knew he wasn't going to make it past the paramedics easily. But maybe he didn't have to get past them. Maybe he just had to get to them. Even in the midst of the chaos, the midst of the unusual course of action he was taking, Snart smirked. This part was easy. Ambulances arrived in a wave, and as quick as they screeched to stops, paramedics were piling out of their vehicles and reeling in dead or injured people. Snart scanned them, picking out the most easily manipulatable one. Towards the end a paramedic was pulling out a stretcher while the other was on the radio. Snart walked right over to them and laid Barry down on stretcher. "He needs help."

The paramedic looked up at Snart. He was very young, shy into his twenties. Probably no older than Barry. Dirty blond hair and dusty gray eyes. Then he looked back down at Barry and began to exam him. "Where did you find him?" Was his first question, soon to be followed by many other more medical-related questions. When he ripped open Snart's coat and saw what was underneath, Snart took his chance and pulled out his gun, holding it up to the kid's head. He froze, then his eyes slowly leveled with Snart's. There was a familiar look of fear, of confusion.

"A word and you're dead." Snart said calmly, then jerked his head towards the ambulance. "Put him in the ambulance and keep him alive." The kid didn't need to be told twice. Regardless of what he thought Snart might be planning for the Flash, he did say to keep him alive. He pushed Barry up into the ambulance and glanced nervously back at Snart. Snart gave him a rather meaningful look before he shut the doors. The paramedic in the front seat who'd been on the radio hadn't noticed anything, and only looked around when Snart climbed into the seat next to him. Snart pointed his gun at his heart.

The other paramedic was older, middle-aged. Silver streaks lined his brunette hair and lines carved his face. He glanced down at Snart's gun, gripping the radio in his hand. He looked back up at Snart. "Where's Jason?" He asked with a much braver voice than he felt. Who knew there'd be a day he'd sit with a gun to his heart?

Snart smirked. " _Jason_ ," He began, presuming Jason was the kid in the back, "Is making sure the Flash keeps breathing. Isn't that right, Jason?" He called towards the back. The older paramedic glanced towards the back and saw Jason barely listening, only trying to keep someone, indeed, alive. A red suit. He looked back at Snart. Snart continued, "You're going to make sure he keeps breathing as well. You're going to put down that radio, and you're going to drive." The paramedic swallowed.

Jason was scanning over Barry. He'd cut open Barry's suit to see the real damage; the truth was that if he wasn't a superhero he'd already be dead. Even so, he might still die. There was just still so much damage. Bruising, broken bones, internal bleeding. Probably some head trauma, and who knows what happened up in the vortex itself. He looked back up at Snart. As scared as he was by whoever the hell this guy was, he knew what he knew. "Look," He started, and Snart's eyes shot back to him, "We need to take him to a hospital. There's so much damage-it's a wonder he's even still alive-"

Snart cut him off. "There's no wonder at all. He's a metahuman. A superhero. The guy that just saved all our asses. And we're not going to a hospital." He directed the last sentence at the older paramedic. "What's your name?" He asked.

The paramedic glanced between him, Barry, and Jason. He swallowed again. "John."

"Okay, _John_." Snart said sharply. "Start driving."


	2. Two And Two Are Two And Two

Snart had John speeding down the streets, past all the other ambulances and fire trucks and police cars. Besides being an ambulance, nobody would think twice to look at them given the current situation. Snart broke the radio as soon as they started driving, and also chucked each paramedic's phones out the window. Any desperate wives, or girlfriends or boyfriends would only be wondering if they were alright. He was watching each of them carefully, just waiting for any wrong move.

Jason had tried to argue the hospital point right up until Snart threatened to freeze one of his feet off. He was giving them directions as they went, and if he was being honest with himself, he was just making it up as he went. He had a place to take Barry, but it was true enough that Barry needed real medical attention. Or, at least, he would have before. About twenty minutes speeding through the city proved to be a little different. Barry was starting to regenerate, and much faster than he had before. Jason was astounded.

"I don't understand-how can he possibly..?" He was muttering to himself, watching Barry's wounds heal before his eyes. "Doesn't make sense.."

To this Snart made no comment. He knew that Barry had never healed that fast before. Knew pretty damn well. But like any man who could put two and two together, he wagered a guess that either Barry had become more powerful between the truck escape and now, or something had happened up there with the vortex. He couldn't pretend to understand any of the science like Cisco or Caitlin, but two and two are two and two. His eyes traveled back to the street.

"John." Snart's voice came out low and serious. He didn't look over but merely highered his gun. "You passed the street I told you to go on." John's eyes darted over at Snart's face and for a moment they were locked. Then John yanked the wheel. Jason let out a startled cry from the back, gripping hold of Barry to make sure he wouldn't get flying as the ambulance jerked over onto the sidewalk.

Snart could have growled in annoyance. Panic was irritating. Panic made for poor plans. Panic nearly crippled some pedestrians, only to give them a bit of a headache. He wasn't even going to bother to shoot the man; he just whipped him upside the head with his gun. John let out a yelp and while he was still dazed, Snart reached over and pulled open the door, throwing the paramedic out into the street. He watched the man roll into the road behind them as he straightened out of the vehicle. An exasperated cry came from the back. "John! Oh my god, you _threw him out?_ "

"Yes, I did." Snart growled. "And I'll freeze your hands off if you stop paying attention to him." Snart glanced in the rear view mirror. Barry's breathing was no longer as shallow as it was. Jason had mostly been keeping him stable. He'd wiped some of the blood away, tried to clean some of the wounds. He kept checking for a pulse because the machine couldn't read his heartbeat. Jason fell back into silence and looked at Barry's face. Some of the swelling had gone down. He looked somewhat familiar.

A few more minutes and the ambulance was pulling up beside one of Snart's safe houses. He was going to clear the place out, make a few calls, and possibly get out of town. With Barry. Kid sure didn't need a hospital. The ambulance stopped and Snart looked around, gun pointed at Jason. Jason was starting to wipe some of the blood off Barry's face. "We're getting out." Snart said. He glanced down at Barry. "All of us."

Then he pushed open the door and stepped out into the street. It was practically deserted. Everyone was either over towards S.T.A.R. Labs, or at a hospital, or a friend's or family's house. All the better for them, however. Snart walked towards the back of the ambulance and swung the doors open, gun pointed at Jason. Kid was smarter than his co-worker. Either that or he was more concerned about the Flash.

"Bring him with you." Snart ordered, nodding towards Barry. Jason complied, stepping out into the street and wheeling the stretcher down along with him. He was as careful as he could be with Barry and a gun pointed at his face. When they were all outside the ambulance Snart grabbed hold of the side of the stretcher with one hand and stuck his gun into Jason's back. "Move." He ordered again, and began to direct the stretcher where he wanted, Jason being pushed along in front of him.

They stepped up onto the sidewalk, Snart only lowering his gun to help hoist it up. Jason didn't dare make a move, if not for himself but for Barry. He wasn't sure what Snart wanted with him. He couldn't figure a man pointing guns at paramedics had any decent intentions. There was no smart way to call for help, though. Jason only racked his brain to figure out why Barry's face was so familiar as he was pushed towards a forgotten-looking warehouse. "Here," Snart said, and threw a key down onto the stretcher. "Open the door and bring him inside." Jason picked up the key.

He unlocked the door without a problem, sliding the door open wide before grabbing back onto the stretcher and wheeling Barry inside. Snart had stepped back and let Jason go ahead first. The warehouse wasn't empty-just a little dusty. It was filled with supplies for his various ventures. Guns, cash, food, clothes. Part for his Cold Gun, old blueprints, a thing or two he hadn't sold off yet. His leverage on the Flash.

Jason wheeled Barry over to a table. Snart stepped around the other side and in a swipe cleared everything off the table. "Put him here." Snart said. Jason complied quietly, turning around and lifting Barry gently into his arms. He laid Barry down onto the table.

"What now?" Jason asked, looking up at Snart.

Snart narrowed his eyes at him but backed away and walked over to a shelf. He pulled off a first aid kit and handed it to Jason. "Help him." He said quietly.

Jason raised at eyebrow as he opened the kit. There were bandages, tape, cotton balls, a thermometer, some scissors, an empty syringe, some rubbing alcohol, antibiotic cream, and some painkillers. "This isn't enough." Jason reiterated his earlier point. "He needs to go to a hospital." He looked up at Snart. He knew by now that that wasn't true, but if he could convince Snart to bring the Flash to a hospital, he could probably contact the police.

But Snart wasn't having any of it. " _Don't_ fuck with me. We both know he'll fix himself. Now help him." Snart said pointedly. Jason glanced down at Snart's gun, then began pulling out some of the supplies from the kit. The least he could do is clean up some of the blood, wrap him up a bit, and give him painkillers. The rest of it looked to be up to Barry.

Snart stepped a few paces back, one eye still glued to the paramedic. He picked up a burner phone sitting among the other stuff and dialed a number. It rang only a few time and then somebody picked up. A gruff voice. Snart only exchanged a few quiet words with them, while Jason stood by and cleaned Barry up. As he finished cleaning off Barry's face he had to hold back a gasp. He figured out why he looked so familiar. This was Barry Allen.

CSI. Got struck by lightning, was in a coma, woke up, still as awkward as ever. Hard not to hear about him, father being a murderer and adoptive father being a damn good detective. Jason had met Joe before-hell, he'd even met Barry a few times if only briefly. He was the Flash? Then who the hell was this guy and what did he want with Barry? All these thoughts ran through Jason's head and by the time he realized that he'd been staring down at Barry, he looked up to see a look in Snart's eyes he did not like.

"You know, I told the Flash-sorry, Barry, that I wouldn't reveal his identity to anyone." Snart said quietly, staring down at Barry. "And unlike some other promises I've made, I intend to keep that one." His eyes flickers up to Jason. Jason knew what was going to happen before Snart even said it.

"Sorry, kid." Snart said. He aimed, then pulled the trigger.


	3. Who The Hell Are You?

Jason barely remembered what happened after he was hit. Being hit, though? He remembered that clearly. A searing, agonizing pain ripping through his side. Then a numbness. Not just where he was hit, but everywhere else. Fading, fading. Faded away until he could barely tell what was going on around him. He vaguely remembered Snart getting another call, then shortly after grabbing a few things and walking outside for a bit. Then he came back and picked up Barry. He didn't even glance twice at Jason, though.

Jason watched him line the place with gasoline and then he heard the match. He heard the door shut. He could smell the fire and the smoke, and if he hadn't been on the ground he'd have choke almost instantly. He could barely remember what happened after that. He must have crawled, crawled across the room and the into the next. There actually was another exit, a back door leading out into a fenced-in storage area. Jason managed to crawl all the way out back before the warehouse started to fall apart in flames.

He glanced around, looking up at the flames that should have been his death.

* * *

Snart never had a preference or an aversion to violence. He was truly neutral, one might say. He didn't so much as look back at the warehouse where he left the paramedic, yet for some reason he went through the trouble of carting one of his, well, rivals, all the way out of the city. He figured he'd want to play it safe in the aftermath of what had just happened. The cops didn't have anything on him anymore but Barry's friends would be looking for him.

So, after getting a hold of a contact he'd got a car, threw some supplies in, and tucked Barry into the backseat. Then he drove them out into the rural outskirts of Central City. He hadn't even contacted Mick, or his sister. He couldn't explain this to them. He couldn't explain it to himself.

He'd driven them to a another safe house of his, an old farm owned under an alias. It was remote, quiet. A bit smelly, too. The car bumped along the gravel road as it pulled up to the house. He pulled to a stop and looked around. He let out a loud sigh before getting out of the car. In the distance he could see Central City. There was still smoke reaching up into the sky. Snart tore his eyes off the horizon and popped open the trunk. He pulled out some bags and hauled them over to the house.

After unlocking the door Snart stepped inside. It smelled musty. The lights came on with the flick of a switch, occasionally flickering. He walked into the sitting room and tossed down the bags. He paused for a moment, listening. Silence. He always preferred the noise of the city. The silence was unsettling.

Snart walked back out to the car and shut the trunk. Then he opened up the back seat door and glanced down in at Barry. Barry was recognizable again, almost fully healed. It was extraordinary. Snart leaned into the car and slid Barry out a little bit so that he could pick him up. When he lifted him up into his arms, Snart kicked the door shut and carried him back into the house. Barry didn't even stir as his head hung just over Snart's arm.

The house was two stories; the upstairs had two bedrooms and a bathroom, while everything else was downstairs. Snart carried Barry up the stairs and picked one of the bedrooms. The rooms hadn't been touched in months. Plopping Barry down on the bed generated a hefty cloud of dust. Snart stalked over the window and wrenched it open. The air blew in, a tint of smoke still on its tongue. Snart glanced back at the bed.

He wasn't sure how long Barry would be out. He wasn't sure what he was going to do when he woke up. He'd wrapped himself in a frustrating situation without a particularly good reason. Or any reason at all. Somewhat irritated at himself he trumped back downstairs to riffle through his supplies. It was something to do. He couldn't call his sister, not just yet.

* * *

Jason was in surgery by the time Joe had arrived. He'd been searching for any, any at all sign of Barry since the singularity had closed. He and the others had to flee while Barry ran straight for danger. It wasn't right. When he heard over the radio that a paramedic alleging being held at gunpoint and being forced to drive while a kid in a red suit was in the back, well, he knew he had to follow the trail. The description of the gunman sounded suspiciously like Leonard Snart. Joe was desperate.

Joe pled the doctors to let him speak to Jason as soon as Jason was able. He needed to know. Jason was found outside a burnt-down warehouse with frostbite all along his side. It was a safehouse, definitely one of Snart's. He just had to know-what did Snart want with Barry? Joe was fighting with himself. Here he was, sitting in a hospital while everyone else was out dealing with the aftermath of the black hole. Eddie was dead. Iris was who-knows-where. Cisco and Caitlin, Professor Stein and Ronnie were all out trying to help people. That was his job, to _protect and serve_. But he couldn't. He couldn't lose anyone else.

Just as he decided he was done rubbing his knuckles and he was going to go do something, he heard some familiar voices call to him from down the hall. Looking up he saw the whole crew-Cisco, Caitlin, Stein, Ronnie, and his baby Iris. They all wanted to find Barry just as much as he did. "Dad!" Iris cried and ran up to him as he stood up. He wrapped his in his arms and looked over her shoulder at the rest of him.

"Anything?" Cisco asked nervously.

Joe shook his head, then kissed the top of Iris's head. He looked back at them all. "The paramedic who was left in the ambulance is still in surgery. It was definitely Snart, though. Frostbite all over his side. They're not sure he's going to make it." Joe glanced towards the doors.

"I'll see about that." Caitlin said, and with a look of determination on her face she walked up to the desk. She probably wouldn't make it past the doors either, even with her credibility. Still, she might argue with someone and it'd make her feel a bit better. Ronnie trailed after her, unsure of whether or not to stop her. He wasn't sure what they could do right now.

"Captain Cold.." Cisco growled. The name was now like a bad flavor in his mouth. After both what happened to his brother and the truck escape. He could see Snart's smirk just by thinking about it.

"Do we even know what Snart wants with Barry?" Stein asked, looking between them. "I'd say perhaps Caitlin and Cisco could try to find him, but given the state of S.T.A.R. Labs.." His voice trailed off, and like all the others he felt rather useless.

"If I got to a computer I could try tracking Barry's suit." Cisco suggested, looking at Joe. Joe nodded quietly, still watching the doors.

"Yeah, here, Cisco, you can use my laptop.." Iris said, pulling her laptop from her bag. She walked over to some of the waiting chairs that had a small table between them, Cisco following behind her. Joe and Stein exchanged a look at watched after them.

* * *

Barry woke with a start. Gasping, struggling for breath as he woke, gripping the sheets. He slid himself up against the bedframe until he managed to calm himself, evening out his breathing. When he finally gathered himself he looked around the room. It was unfamiliar, but everything was. He held up his hands and looked down at them; they shook, jittered and vibrated so fast they were in a blur. He couldn't wrap his head around it. It or anything else.

The noise had alerted Snart, who was downstairs. He trumped back up the stairs and stepped into the room, almost expecting Barry to race away as soon as they saw each other. Instead Barry merely looked up at him, staring with a mixture of extreme confusion and suspicion. That he did expect. What he didn't expect is what Barry asked next.

"Who the hell are you?"


	4. Sonic The Mentally Unstable Hedgehog

Snart blinked. Whatever he'd been expecting, it sure as hell wasn't that. Looks like Barry might have taken a bigger hit to the head than he thought. A smirk spread across his face, and he scoffed. "You don't know me." He stated, wondering if this was some kind of elaborate ruse. The look on Barry's face didn't change, though.

"No?" Barry growled. It was more out of fear than anger, though, as was obvious when folded his legs up against his chest. His hands still shook, so he started to grip his knees. "I don't.." He began, but his voice trailed off. After a moment of racking his mind, something became apparent that drew a look of shock across his face. He looked up at Snart in horror. "Do you know me?" He asked quietly.

Snart raised his eyebrows. He stepped a bit closer, arms folded. There was nothing to indicate Barry was lying, and really, the kid had about as much capability to lie as a six-year-old. He could try, but he was damn obvious about it. Snart stooped down towards Barry, watching him closely. "Leonard Snart? _Captain Cold?_ " Snart asked, emphasizing on the nickname. But there was no recognition in Barry's eyes. He just looked more confused.

Snart straightened up again, a frown set on his face. "To think I'm that forgettable." He said sarcastically. "What _do_ you remember?" He asked, now out of curiosity. If Barry could forget him, how much else was he missing? Several months worth, at the least. But Barry was staring down at his hands again.

"I.." Barry said shakily, suddenly realizing he didn't have an answer. "I don't.. I don't remember..." His voice started to fall into a mumble as it dawned on him that he didn't have a single clue as to who the hell he was. After a few drawn seconds of silence, Barry managed to spit out, "I don't remember anything." Then he looked up at Snart.

Whoever this guy was, he wasn't sure they'd actually been friends. There was just something really off about him, and no matter how Barry looked at him, he just couldn't shake that feeling. All the same, though, he was the only person around. He was the only person Barry knew right now. And right now Barry wasn't Barry, he was more like the ghost of who Barry was. But he still didn't wasn't sure how to lay that card down, so he asked, "How did I get here?"

Snart had been quiet, trying to draw up a conclusion on this. Something had happened up there, or from the fall, or whatever, because Barry really didn't recognize him. "You don't seem to remember," He began, watching Barry carefully, "But you were off playing hero in the city and ended up getting yourself hurt. I dragged you out of the wreck below and..." Snart gestured around the room, "...here we are."

There was no going into details yet. Judging by the look on Barry's face when he mentioned being a hero, Snart suspected he might not even remember the particle accelerator and being struck by lightning. "Do you remember being struck by lightning?" He asked.

Barry's eyes widened. "I was struck by lighting!?" He exclaimed, sitting a bit forward. "Is that why I can't remember anything?" Snart stared at him.

"...No." He said finally. "At least, not recently. That was months ago. You don't remember it? You were in a coma."

When Barry shook his head, Snart scratched his chin. Kid doesn't remember the black hole, doesn't remember him, doesn't remember getting struck by lighting and becoming a big damn hero.. Snart glanced at Barry. Finally, he had to ask, "Do you know your name?"

Barry drew his breath. His eyes wandered to a stain on the carpet down beside the bed. His hands started to shake more violently, his legs quickly following suit. It was enough of an answer for Snart in itself. And again, Snart asked himself how he got into this situation in the first place. A very weak, quiet, "No.." Came from Barry's lips.

Snart wasn't sure what to do. Sure, now he had the Flash in the palm of his hands, but what good did it do him if he couldn't even remember him? Nobody except him knew where Barry was. Nobody except him knew this had happened. Sure, Barry's little hero group would come looking for him eventually. And hell, maybe it would be better for Snart to just let them find.. oh hell, what now?

While Snart had been deciding was to do, Barry had been quickly dissolving into a meltdown. Probably should have seen that coming, but he'd only noticed when the bed had started to vibrate and shift a little. Snart looked up, and realized Barry also didn't know anything about his powers.

Barry was holding his hands up against the sides of his head, and he was vibrating so fast he'd become a blur. His voice was masked by the speed but Snart could still make out one question. "W-what's going o-on?"

Snart jumped to his feet. "W-what is th-this?" Barry asked, fear flooding his voice. Snart watched Barry try and stumble off the bed, only to fall straight down on the floor, still moving like a blur. "I c-can't..."

Snart knelt down in front of Barry and tried to grab hold of his arms. Suffice to say that was easier said than done. "Dammit," He growled, finally managing to get a grip on him. He was pretty sure his hands were going numb, but he managed to sit Barry upright. "Calm down!" Snart warned, trying to keep Barry still. And, of course, in the history of people trying to tell people to calm down, when has that ever worked? Yeah, never.

"I c-can't-what's h-happening?" Barry cried out.

"You're just moving really fast," Snart tried to explain, "It's kind of your _thing_. You've handled this before."

"B-but I don't remember-" Barry started. He tried to stand up again, but as soon as he did, he jolted them both straight towards the wall across the room. They slammed hard into it, both bouncing back down again the floor. Snart had let out a yell.

"Oh for the love of-" Snart groaned, still gripping Barry's arms, "You'd think after closing that thing in the sky by _running_ in it, you'd have a lid on this buTAHFUCK-"

Barry had tried to get up again, and again, jolted them straight against the wall right by the door frame. Snart let out another groan, only this time he'd let go of Barry. If the kid wanted to throw himself around, he would do it only to himself. Snart didn't regenerate like Sonic the Mentally Unstable Hedgehog here.

"H-how do I stop th-this?" Barry asked, trying his hardest not to move. Snart looked over at him, laying down in front of the door. A streak of violet electricity flickered by Barry's legs, but disappeared as soon as Snart had seen it. Weird. He was pretty sure his lightning had been yellow. Snart sighed.

"I didn't exactly babysit you the first time around," Snart growled, "Hell if I know." Then he shook his head and stood back up, looking down at Barry on the ground. "How did I get myself into this?" He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Barry started to get himself onto his hands and knees, and for a moment he was fine. Then, with about as much warning as before, he shot across the room and slammed right into the opposite wall and slid down onto the floor. Snart sighed. "If it was this bad the first time around I kind of wonder how you didn't kill yourself before I tried." He said quietly.

"W-what?" Barry asked, gripping onto the other side of the bed for support as he slid back up onto his knees.

Snart shook his head. " _Nothing._ Can you get up?"

"I-I think..." Barry started, but he didn't get too far into that sentence. He started to get back onto his feet, his legs still shaking, when a bright jolt of electricity flashed over him, and he shot out the window. Glass and all, Snart could hear him yell as he tumbled down onto the ground outside.

Snart closed his eyes. " _Why?_ "


	5. A Fast Pain In The Ass

While Snart was off prying Barry off of the driveway, Cisco had been working fast to see if he could locate Barry's suit. Problem was, during or after closing the vortex, the suit had been damaged. The transmitter was dead. Cisco told everyone the news with a heavy sigh-another dead end.

Jason was still clinging on for life. Ronnie had calmed Caitlin down enough that she harassed the nurses as politely as possible, but there wasn't much to be told. Stein was trying to think of another way to track Barry, but again, he'd come up with nothing. Iris was holding Joe's hand as they waited-maybe there was something this paramedic could tell them about where they were going, anything Snart said. What did he want?

And soon enough, a doctor finally came out to talk to them. Joe stood up and shook his hand. "Thank you. How's he doing?" He asked, as the others watched quietly.

"Not great, but he's going to live. He was pretty lucky. Whatever that was, it didn't damage any major organs." The doctor answered. Then he looked around, at all the nurses and doctors running around, bringing more people in. The people sitting around, waiting for news on their friends and loved ones. The vortex certainly did its damage. "We're moving him to another ward, I'll have a nurse give you his information." He added, and directed Joe over to the counter. Then he turned around and rushed over to help someone else.

Joe sighed, walking over to the nurse. What else could they do?

* * *

Barry had either passed out or knocked himself out when he shot out the window. It didn't really matter, because Snart still had to scoop him up off the ground again anyway. Again and again Snart questioned what he was doing, but he still found himself hauling Barry back into the house.

And he had other questions. What was the purple lightning about? He'd seen it for sure this time, and he knew Barry's lightning used to be yellow. He had no answers, however, given he basically knew jack shit about metahumans. He just knew how to fight them. Snart had carried Barry back into the house and laid him down on the couch. Then he walked into the next room and sat down at the kitchen table. Everything was dusty.

Snart pulled out a throwaway phone and began to dial his sister's number. He stopped before he hit send, however. He wasn't sure his sister would help. In fact, she'd probably make it that much worse. She didn't always have the best of judgement, after all. Snart sighed and hit the phone against his face. God dammit.

Annnndd he accidentally hit call. Snart dropped the phone as he attempted to stop the call, so by the time it was back in his hands, he could hear his sister's voice. "Hello?"

Of course, she didn't have this number. He could hang up. But he wasn't that much of an asshole to his sister, so he resigned himself to talk to her. "Lisa," He answered, holding the phone up to his ear.

* * *

It didn't take long for Barry to come around again. He groaned, then sat up clutching his head. He still had a few shards of glass in his hair. For a moment everything was a bit blank, but then he remembered the previous conversation with Snart. He still didn't remember anything. His heart started to pick up again, and his hands started to vibrate. Barry gritted his teeth and tried to force himself calm. Whatever had happened, he didn't want to do it again.

Snart had noticed him sit up. "Going to go through any more windows?" Snart asked, glancing over at Barry. "Or have you forgotten that too?"

Barry had managed to even out his breathing, but he still scowled at Snart. Then he hobbled back onto his feet and walked slowly into the kitchen, one hand still resting on his head. He sat down opposite of Snart. "Shut up," Barry snapped, rubbing his forehead.

After a brief moment of silence, Barry looked up at Snart. He had a thousand and one questions, and wasn't really sure where to begin. Snart seemed to know a lot about him, and about his.. powers. Barry's other hand was still vibrating against the table. "You've said I've done this before," Barry said, looking down at his hand, "That I move really fast."

Snart was tapping the table, glancing down at the phone. Lisa had asked him where he was, if he'd seen what happened. Of course he did. He was fine and he told her so, but he skirted around telling her where he was and what he was doing. He was pretty sure he had made her suspicious, especially given he told her from a disposable number. He wasn't sure if bringing her in on.. whatever he was doing was really a good idea.

"Yeah." Snart finally said. He looked up at Barry, wondering what exactly he should tell him. The truth seemed like it would be easiest. "You got zapped during the mess with the particle accelerator and it made you a fast pain in the ass. A bunch of other people got powers too, I think you and your friends took to calling them 'metahumans'. Can't say you usually launch yourself through windows, though. At least, not accidentally."

The last comment he added with a tone of amusement. It was also kind of funny to think that he's have something over the Flash-something besides his identity. He could do anything he wanted. But he didn't really know what he wanted. He'd always enjoyed their rivalistic relationship-it was all part of the game. But the game had come to a halt.

Barry had noticed Snart had gone silent, and mildly wished he'd got zapped into being a psychic. At least then he'd know what he was dealing with. He sat back, hands in his lap, and looked at the floor. "Metahuman.." He said quietly, mulling it over. It's not like he could dispute it, all things considered. Then he looked back up at Snart.

"So who are you?" Barry asked. He remembered Leonard Snart and-and well, Captain Cold, whatever that meant. But neither of those names meant anything. "I mean, why am I here? Are we.. are we friends?"

Snart stared at Barry for a long, hard minute. The ignorance, other innocence even, of the question was a bit too much for him. Snart found himself laughing, and he laughed for a good minute or so. Barry felt a bit indignant, but when Snart finally calmed down, he said, " _Friends_. Yeah, right, let's go with that."

He shook his head, looking down at his phone again.

* * *

God damn brothers, you know? Lisa hated when Snart kept her out of the loop. She could always tell, too! Off doing who-knows-what while Central City is picking itself back up. Lisa was riding through the city, watching ambulances, firemen, and cop cars zoom by. Didn't have a thing to do with her, though-she was alive, after all. Looks like the Flash had played the hero.

Snart had called her from a number she didn't know, so she could only guess he was holed away somewhere. She had gone to the warehouse only to find it in flames. There were cops, crime scene tape. She had even watched Joe as he'd turned up to look at the scene. Whatever was going on, she knew her brother must be laying low.

Lisa knew where most of her brother's hideouts were-after all, she did like keeping tabs on him just as he kept them on her. That's what family is for, right? To keep each other out of jail. And while her brother could be in a number of places at the moment, an educated guess let her narrow down the list to a few places outside the city.

Lisa decided she'd check out the farm first. Neither of them had been there for a while, and it was fairly remote. No one knew they owned it. If Snart had gotten into some mess during or after the shit in the sky, he probably wanted to get well removed from the city for a while.

Getting out of the city would be an effort in and of itself at the moment, however. There was so much traffic, so much chaos. Lisa sighed as she slowed to a stop. There wasn't even any room to cut around someone. Thanks, Leonard.


End file.
